CROC FLUSHED OUT OF CULVERT

KOTA KINABALU : A nearly seven-feet female estuarine crocodile was caught by the Wildlife Department in a culvert near the Kepayan Ridge Flats, here, Thursday.

Its Chief Veterinarian Dr Sen Nathan said they dispatched a team following a distress call from the Civil Defence Department at 9am.

After three hours they finally managed to catch the reptile which was hiding under the culvert.

He thanked the Fire and Rescue Department as well as the Civil Defence Department for helping to flush out the crocodile with a powerful water flush before catching it by the neck with a hook.

Dr Sen believed it was the same crocodile spotted basking on the bank just below the Sabah Museum Complex a few weeks ago.

"The healthy crocodile is believed to be between five and six-years-old and is currently confined at the Lokawi Zoo," he said, adding they might release it to the wild in due time.

He said the crocodile might have ended up in the culvert after it travelled through the inter-connected drainage system, which gave it easy access from one point to another.

On another note, he said, this crocodile might pose a danger because of its close proximity to human contact, especially since the culvert is very small.

Fire and Rescue Department Communication Officer Affendy Ramin said a rescue team comprising six personnel led by Senior Officer II Jainal Ismail was dispatched at the scene following a distress call at 11am.

According to a resident, known only as Jill, passers-by who spotted the crocodile on Wednesday night started to scare it away by throwing stones at it.

"The crocodile was seen lazing in the culvert which was dry at that time but it moved under the culvert after people started throwing stones at it," she said, adding that residents alerted the authorities following the incident. (DE)